News / National
Mugabe family remains on sanctions
04 Nov 2014 at 17:30hrs | Views
The government of Zimbabwe has expressed reservations over the European Union (EU)'s stance of leaving the First Family on the sanctions list although they lifted the trade embargo by dropping Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.
Zimbabwe welcomed the re-engagement efforts of the EU, but has spoken out at the hypocrisy of the fishmonger grouping for keeping Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement that keeps the First Family on the sanctions list.
This emerged when the new EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Phillipe van Damme paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy, Cde Supa Mandiwanzira at Munhumutapa Building this Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking after the closed door meeting, Ambassador Van Damme said the EU will continue working on their relations with Zimbabwe with the hope that the first measure of lifting the trade embargo will go a long way in cementing ties.
"We are ironing things out, and this measure is good," he said.
Other issues that emerged from the visit include the bashing of Zimbabwe's image in western media outlets and Zimbabwe's insistence that the EU block address this anomaly if relations are to be mended pleasantly.
On Thursday last week, Ambassador Van Damme told journalists at a media briefing at the EU headquarters in Harare that the EU Council has confirmed the decision made in February this year to re-engage Zimbabwe.
The development means that EU will resume direct funding to government with Ambassador Van Damme hinting that this might come as early as the second quarter of 2015.
Zimbabwe welcomed the re-engagement efforts of the EU, but has spoken out at the hypocrisy of the fishmonger grouping for keeping Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement that keeps the First Family on the sanctions list.
This emerged when the new EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Phillipe van Damme paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy, Cde Supa Mandiwanzira at Munhumutapa Building this Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking after the closed door meeting, Ambassador Van Damme said the EU will continue working on their relations with Zimbabwe with the hope that the first measure of lifting the trade embargo will go a long way in cementing ties.
"We are ironing things out, and this measure is good," he said.
Other issues that emerged from the visit include the bashing of Zimbabwe's image in western media outlets and Zimbabwe's insistence that the EU block address this anomaly if relations are to be mended pleasantly.
On Thursday last week, Ambassador Van Damme told journalists at a media briefing at the EU headquarters in Harare that the EU Council has confirmed the decision made in February this year to re-engage Zimbabwe.
The development means that EU will resume direct funding to government with Ambassador Van Damme hinting that this might come as early as the second quarter of 2015.
Source - zbc
